Rumor: Pokemon Direct proves recent leak is real, new unconfirmed details for Pokemon Sword/Shield
A Pokemon Direct aired earlier today, treating fans to all sorts of details about Pokemon Sword/Shield. Interestingly, some of that information may have leaked a couple of leaks ago without many people initially noticing.
A thread posted on 4Chan contains a mix of what was covered in today’s presentation as well as details not yet confirmed. This person accurately named Hop as your rival, researcher Sonia being the granddaughter of Sword and Shield’s professor, and Wooloo. The Dynamaxing mechanic and raids were also brought up, along with accurately describing the new Legendary Pokemon and how the Wild Area plays out.
As for what hasn’t been announced yet, the leaker claims the following is in Pokemon Sword/Shield:
- Sword and Shield’s enemy team will be called Team Yell.
- There will be an “evil” legendary Pokemon named Eternatus.
- In addition to Dynamaxing, there will also be the similar Gigantimaxing, which changes a Pokemon’s appearance in addition to growing its size. Three examples given are Meowth looking like “long cat,” Lapras getting “layers like musical bars to its shell and musical notes,” and Pikachu looking like “retro fat Pikachu.”
- “Regional evolutions” will be a thing, with Farfetch’d turning into Sirfetch’d, and Meowth looking like “a ball of spiky grey fur.” It’s unclear if this literally means evolutions or if it actually refers to regional variants like Alola.
- Chipmunk Pokemon potentially named “Skwovet and Greedunt” will hide in berry trees, attacking players if they shake them too many times, which will cause you to lose half the berries that fell.
- To challenge a gym leader, you need to get an endorsement (not explained), which will then let you take on a gym challenge that needs to be completed before fighting them.
- Three gym challenges are described, including one where you have to herd Wooloo while avoiding a new Electric corgi Pokemon called Pamper, one where you navigate a maze with water blocking your path, and one where you have to catch Pokemon and “get 5 points” while in a team battle with another trainer who is also trying to catch them at the same time.
- While in the Wild Area, you will “randomly see nearby players and interact with them to get their league cards and items.”
- Camping will be a mechanic, and is where you will play with Pokemon. It will also let you make curry to raise stats and use toys to raise friendship.
- Grookey’s final evolution is a giant gorilla that uses a wood drum to attack.
- Sobble’s evolutions are called Sizzile and then Intelleon, and will have a spy-theme to them.
- “Scorbunny will have fighting moves, but is pure fighter.” (There could be a typo in here, it reads as if it meant to say “but is pure fire” or “but isn’t pure fighter.”) Its second evolution is called Raboot, and its final evolution looks like a humanoid fighter.
- A blue seagull Pokemon was described that will get either a “barracuda or a Pikachu” in its mouth when it dives, which it then throws at the enemy.
Of course, the tidbits above are not confirmed at this time. While they might seem realistic given how much information was confirmed after today’s Pokemon Direct aired, there have been no official announcements. Either this person has knowledge of what’s to come, or was able to come across information from the Direct early and mixed that in with false tidbits.
